Insulated beverage holder

ABSTRACT

A thermally insulating beverage holder that is easily customizable to include graphics, text, and/or photographs. The beverage holder comprises a lid, a base, a spine piece, and sleeve. The lid and base elements may be removably joined by the spine piece which holds the two elements in place and provides the proper spacing. The ends of the sleeve may be inserted into slots on either side of the spine piece with the lid and base fitting over the top and bottom edges of the sleeve, respectively. When the lid, base, spine piece, and sleeve are assembled, they define an interior cavity where a beverage container may be inserted.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/389,617, filed on 4 Oct. 2010, and U.S. Provisional Application No.61/394,241, filed on 18 Oct. 2010.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

Embodiments of the invention relate to insulated beverage holders and,more particularly, to insulated beverage holders that can be easilycustomized to include graphics, text, and/or photographs.

2. Description of the Related Art

Many insulating beverage holders are in common use today. Sometimesreferred to as a “beer koozie” or simply a “koozie”, the purpose ofthese insulating beverage holders is to keep the consumer's hand warmwhile keeping the beverage cold at the same time. Beverage holders arefrequently customized to include graphics and/or text for the purpose ofcorporate marketing or commemorating a special event such as a wedding,for example. Customized graphics and text are commonly applied to thebeverage holder using a screen printing process, for example.

Many types of beverage holders are typically fabricated with a thermallyinsulating material such as plain foam, neoprene, polyester, and open orclosed cell foams. The body of the beverage holder often includes a holein the bottom surface so as to reduce the suction effects that preventthe can from being easily removed from the holder. Beverage holders arecommonly sized to accommodate a standard twelve-ounce aluminum can.However, other holders may be sized for standard bottles, forty-ouncebottles, and many other styles and sizes of beverage containers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A beverage holder according to an embodiment of the present inventioncomprises the following elements. An annular lid is sized to accommodatea beverage container. A base comprises a surface for receiving abeverage container. An elongated spine piece comprises first and secondends. The first end is joined to the lid, and the second end is joinedto the base such that the lid and the base are spaced a distance fromeach other. The spine piece is shaped to define elongated slots on bothsides.

A receptacle according to an embodiment of the present inventioncomprises the following elements. A spine piece is connected at one endto a lid and at the other end to a base. A sleeve is between the lid andthe base. The sleeve is connected to both sides of the spine piece.

A receptacle according to an embodiment of the present inventioncomprises the following elements. An elongated spine piece comprisesinner and outer planks spaced to define two longitudinal slots. Theinner and outer planks are connected by a rib running along the lengthof the spine piece. A sleeve is connected to both sides of the spinepiece with the ends of the sleeve inserted into the longitudinal slots.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a beverage holder according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a beverage holder according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a beverage holder according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a beverage holder according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 a is a top view of a lid according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 b is a bottom view of a lid according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 c is a close-up bottom view of a portion of a lid according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 a is a top view of a base according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 6 b is a bottom view of a lid according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 6 c is a close-up view of a portion of the top side of a baseaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 a is an outside perspective view of a spine piece according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 b is an inside perspective view of a spine piece according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 c is a close-up perspective view of an end portion of a spinepiece according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 a is a front side perspective view of a sleeve laid flataccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 b is a perspective view of a fully-assembled beverage holderaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows a front view of several sizes of unassembled beverageholders according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the inside surface of a spine piecefirst plank and the inside surface of a spine piece second plankaccording to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 11 shows a plan view of a surface of a sheet according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of a lid and a base according to anembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention as claimed provide a thermally insulatingbeverage holder that is easily customizable to include graphics, text,and/or photographs. The beverage holder comprises a lid, a base, a spinepiece, and sleeve. The lid and base elements may be removably joined bythe spine piece which holds the two elements in place and provides theproper spacing. The ends of the sleeve may be inserted into slots oneither side of the spine piece with the lid and base fitting over thetop and bottom edges of the sleeve, respectively. When the lid, base,spine piece, and sleeve are assembled, they define an interior cavitywhere a beverage container may be inserted.

It is understood that when an element is referred to as being “on”another element, it can be directly on the other element or interveningelements may also be present. Furthermore, relative terms such as“inner”, “outer”, “upper”, “above”, “lower”, “beneath”, and “below”, andsimilar terms, may be used herein to describe a relationship of oneelement to another. It is understood that these terms are intended toencompass different orientations of the device in addition to theorientation depicted in the figures.

Although the ordinal terms first, second, etc., may be used herein todescribe various elements, components, regions and/or sections, theseelements, components, regions, and/or sections should not be limited bythese terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element,component, region, or section from another. Thus, unless expresslystated otherwise, a first element, component, region, or sectiondiscussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, orsection without departing from the teachings of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a beverage holder 100 according to anembodiment of the present invention. This particular beverage holder issized to accommodate a twelve-ounce aluminum can, although it isunderstood that other embodiments can be sized for many different sizesand shapes of beverage containers. A thermally insulating sleeve 102 isdisposed between a lid 104 and a base 106. The lid 104 and the base 106are held in place and spaced apart by a spine piece 108 (shown in FIG.2). The lid 104 and the base 106 are both shaped to receive the top andbottom edges of the sleeve 102, respectively. The sleeve is easilycustomizable to include graphics, text, and/or photographs. Exemplarytext is shown in this embodiment.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the beverage holder 100. In thesefigures, the sleeve 102 is removed to better show the structure of thelid 104, the base 106, and the spine piece 108. In FIG. 3, a standardtwelve-ounce soda can is shown fitting just inside the lid 104 andresting on the base 106. The spine piece 108 is removably joined to thelid 104 and to the base 106 as shown. The lid 104, base 106, and spinepiece 108 may be constructed of a sturdy plastic, for example, althoughother materials may also be used.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the beverage holder 100. As shown, thespine piece 108 is detached from the lid 104 and the base 106. In oneembodiment, the lid 104 and base 106 are joined to the spine piece 108with a cooperative rib-slot structure, as discussed in more detailherein.

FIG. 5 a is a top view of the lid 104 according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. The lid 104 has an annular shape, with the centerhole sized to fit around a particular beverage container. A slightprotrusion defines the top side of the lid joint 110 where the spinepiece 108 joins to the lid 104.

FIG. 5 b is a bottom view of the lid 104. The bottom side of the lid 104is shaped to receive the top edge of the sleeve 102 when the beverageholder 100 is assembled. In this particular embodiment, the lid 104 isshaped to define a cylindrical slot 112 that is sized to receive the topedge of the sleeve 108. It is understood that the sleeve may be affixedto the lid 104 in several ways. For example, in some embodiments, thesides of the slot 112 may squeeze against the sleeve 108 to hold it inplace. In other embodiments, an adhesive may be used to hold the sleeve102 in the slot 112. In this embodiment, the lid joint 110 comprises twoprotruding tabs 114 that define a slot between them. The tabs 114cooperate with a rib feature on the spine pieces, as discussed in moredetail herein.

FIG. 5 c shows a close-up bottom view of a portion of the lid 104. Inthis particular embodiment, two tabs 114 define a slot 116 whichcooperates with a rib feature of the spine piece 108 to join the twoelements. The cylindrical slot 112 where the top edge of the sleeve 102in inserted is also shown.

FIG. 6 a shows a top view of the base 106. FIG. 6 b shows a bottom viewof the base 106. In this particular embodiment, similar to the lid 104,the base is shaped to define a cylindrical slot 118 around the outsideof the base 106. The slot is sized to receive the bottom edge of thesleeve 102. As with the lid slot 112, the sleeve 102 can be held inplace in various ways, including a pinch force or an adhesive, forexample. The base 106 also comprises a surface 120 for receiving thebottom of a beverage container. Mirroring the structure of the lid 104,the base 106 in this embodiment comprises a joint 122 with tabs 124which define a slot 126 shaped to receive a rib feature of the spinepiece 108 as discussed in more detail herein. A hole 128 is cut out ofthe center of the base 106 which allows air to escape the interiorcavity when a beverage container is inserted into the assembled holder100, reducing an undesirable vacuum effect that prevents the beveragecontainer from being easily removed from the holder 100.

FIG. 6 c shows a close-up view of a portion of the top side of the base106. The tabs 124 form the linear slot 126 that cooperates with a ribfeature of the spine piece 108.

FIG. 7 a shows an outside view of the spine piece 108. The elongatedspine piece 108 comprises an outside plank 130 and an inside plank 132.FIG. 7 b shows the inside view of the spine piece 108. The two planks130, 132 are connected and spaced at a distance by a rib feature 134that runs longitudinally down the length of the spine piece 108. The ribfeature spaces the planks 130, 132 a distance which is chosen toaccommodate a sleeve 102 having a particular width. The rib feature 134is sized to fit in the lid slot 116 on one end and the base slot 126 onthe opposite end. The planks 130, 132 can be joined in several waysincluding with adhesive or a snap-fit structure, for example.

FIG. 7 c shows a close-up of an end portion of the spine piece 108. Thespine piece is shaped to define two longitudinal slots 136 where theends of the sleeve 102 are inserted as previously discussed. When thebeverage holder 100 is assembled the outside plank 130 faces away fromthe interior cavity, and the inside plank faces inward toward theinterior cavity.

FIG. 8 a shows a front side view of the sleeve 102 laid flat. In thisembodiment the sleeve is decorated with a sheet 137 having a series ofphotographic images thereon. The sheet 137 can be attached to the sleeveusing an adhesive or by any other attachment means. In some embodiments,the sheet 137 may also include text and/or graphics, such as a corporatelogo, for example. In an alternative embodiment the decorative featurescan be applied directly on the sleeve 102, itself, using a screeningprocess, for example.

FIG. 8 b is a perspective view of the fully-assembled beverage holder100. The sleeve 102 is disposed between the lid 104 and the base 106.The ends of top and bottom side ends of the sleeve 102 have beeninserted into the longitudinal slots 136 of the spine 108. Thus, thesleeve 102, the lid 104, and the base 106 define an interior cavity 138where a beverage container can be inserted.

FIG. 9 shows a front view of several sizes of unassembled beverageholders 200 according to embodiments of the present invention. Similarto the beverage holder 100, each of the beverage holders 200 include aspine piece 204 and a sleeve 202. The features of these elements aresimilar to the counterpart elements associated with the beverage holder100. However, these particular embodiments do not include a lid or abase. Rather, the beverage holders 200 are open-ended at both ends anddesigned to slide over a beverage container, such as a standard paper orplastic coffee cup, for example. Thus, in this case the beverage holders200 may simultaneously insulate the beverage to keep it hot (or cold)and protect the consumers hand from the temperature of the beverage.

As shown, the beverage holders 200 can be designed to accommodatevarious sizes and shapes of beverage containers. Many different designsare possible without departing from the scope of the inventive concept.

It is also possible to use embodiments of the present invention to holdobjects other than beverage containers. For example holder 100 may beused to hold pencils, pens, and the like. Many other objects may bestored within the holder 100.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the inside surface of a spine piecefirst plank 302 and the inside surface of a spine piece second plank 304according to embodiments of the present invention. The first plank 302and the second plank 304 are designed to mate with each other using, forexample, a snap-fit mechanism as mentioned herein. The first plank 302comprises at least one female socket; this particular embodimentcomprises multiple sockets 306 disposed on both sides of a longitudinalrib 308. The second plank comprises male posts 310 shaped to cooperatewith the female sockets 306 such the first and second planks 302, 304are mated securely together. Other joining mechanisms may also be used.

The rib 308 comprises a fastening mechanism on both of the longitudinalends as well. This mechanism can also be a snap-fit structure as in thisparticular embodiment. Here, the rib 308 comprises a female socket 307at the top end and a male post 309 at the opposite end. The socket 307cooperates with a corresponding post on the lid, and the post 309corresponds with a socket structure on the base. Thus, the lid and basecan be fastened to the assembled spine piece as discuss in more detailherein.

FIG. 11 shows a plan view of a surface of a sheet 312 according toembodiments of the present invention. The sheet 312 comprise two sets ofbore holes 314 that are designed to receive the posts 310 from thesecond plank 304 such that the sheet 312 can be securely fastenedbetween the planks 302, 304 when they are mated. The sheet 312 can bewrapped around to form a cylindrical shape with both ends being fastenedinto place between the first and second planks 302, 304 such that thecylindrical shape is maintained.

FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of a lid 316 and a base 318 accordingto embodiments of the present invention. The lid 316 comprises a post320 designed to mate with the rib socket 307 (shown in FIG. 10). Using asnap-fit post 320, for example, the lid 316 can be fastened to the topof the first plank 307 such that a slot in the lid 316 receives the topend of the sheet 312. Similarly, a female socket 322 on the base 318 isdesigned to cooperate with the rib post 309. Once assembled, thecylindrically wrapped sheet 312 is held securely between the lid 316 andthe base 318, forming the internal cavity in which a beverage containercan be fit.

It is understood that embodiments presented herein are meant to beexemplary. Embodiments of the present invention can comprise anycombination of compatible features shown in the various figures, andthese embodiments should not be limited to those expressly illustratedand discussed.

Although the present invention has been described in detail withreference to certain preferred configurations thereof, other versionsare possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the invention shouldnot be limited to the versions described above.

1. A beverage holder, comprising: an annular lid sized to accommodate abeverage container; a base comprising a surface for receiving a beveragecontainer; and an elongated spine piece comprising first and secondends, said first end joined to said lid and said second end joined tosaid base such that said lid and said base are spaced a distance fromeach other, said spine piece shaped to define elongated slots on bothsides.
 2. The beverage holder of claim 1, further comprising a sleevedisposed between said lid and said base, said sleeve comprising a firstside end inserted into one of said spine piece slots and a second sideend inserted into the other spine piece slot such that said sleeve, saidlid, said base, and said spine portion define an interior cavity.
 3. Thebeverage holder of claim 2, wherein said sleeve comprises an outersurface that is customizable to display graphics, text, and/orphotographs.
 4. The beverage holder of claim 2, wherein said sleevecomprises a thermally insulating material.
 5. The beverage holder ofclaim 2, wherein said sleeve comprises an interior surface designed toprevent a beverage container from easily slipping out of said cavity. 6.The beverage holder of claim 2, wherein said first and second side endsof said sleeve are removably inserted into said spine piece slots. 7.The beverage holder of claim 2, wherein said lid is shaped to receive atop end of said sleeve.
 8. The beverage holder of claim 2, wherein saidlid comprises a cylindrical slot to receive a top end of said sleeve. 9.The beverage holder of claim 2, wherein said base is shaped to receive abottom end of said sleeve.
 10. The beverage holder of claim 2, whereinsaid base a cylindrical slot to receive a bottom end of said sleeve. 11.The beverage holder of claim 1, wherein said spine piece first end isremovably joined to said lid.
 12. The beverage holder of claim 1,wherein said spine piece second end is removably joined to said base.13. The beverage holder of claim 1, wherein said spine piece comprisesan inner plank and an outer plank connected by a rib that runslongitudinally along the length of said spine piece.
 14. The beverageholder of claim 13, wherein said lid cooperates with said rib to holdsaid spine piece in place.
 15. The beverage holder of claim 13, whereinsaid lid comprises a slot to receive said rib to hold said spine piecein place.
 16. The beverage holder of claim 13, wherein said basecooperates with said rib to hold said spine piece in place.
 17. Thebeverage holder of claim 13, wherein said base comprises a slot toreceive said rib to hold said spine piece in place.
 18. The beverageholder of claim 2, wherein said sleeve comprises at least two bore holesproximate to the ends of said sleeve, and wherein said sleeve is affixedin said slots with snap-fit post structure that corresponds to each ofsaid bore holes.
 19. A receptacle, comprising: a lid; a base; a spinepiece connected at one end to said lid and at the other end to saidbase; and a sleeve between said lid and said base, said sleeve connectedto both sides of said spine piece.
 20. A receptacle, comprising: anelongated spine piece comprising inner and outer planks spaced to definetwo longitudinal slots, said inner and outer planks connected by a ribrunning along the length of the spine piece; and a sleeve connected toboth sides of said spine piece with the ends of said sleeve insertedinto said longitudinal slots.